NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Rocky Mountain Medical Equipment may use and disclose your protected health information to carry out treatment, for payment or health care operations and for other purposes that are permitted or required by law. It also describes your rights to access and control your protected health information. "Protected health information" is information about you, including demographic information, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care services.

We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We may change the terms of our notice, at any time.

Understanding what is in your record and how it is used helps you to ensure its accuracy, better understand who, what, when, where, and why others may access your health information, and make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosures to others. Rocky Mountain Medical Equipment maintains a record of the health care services we provide you. The information in this record serves as a:

basis for planning your care and treatment

means of communication among the many health professionals who contribute to your care

legal document describing the care you received

means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided

a tool in educating heath professionals

source of data for medical research

source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the nation

source of data for facility planning and marketing

a tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve

Although your health record is the physical property of Rocky Mountain Medical Equipment the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information

obtain a paper copy of the notice of information practices upon request

inspect and obtain a copy of your health record

amend your health record

obtain an accounting of disclosures of your health information

request communications of your health information by alternative means or at alternative locations

revoke your authorization to use or disclose health information except to the extent that action has already been taken

Rocky Mountain Medical Equipment is required to:

maintain the privacy of your health information

provide you with a notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to information we collect and maintain about you

abide by the terms of this notice

notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction

accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations.

We will not use or disclose your health information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with our Privacy Contact or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint. You may contact our Privacy Contact, Kelli Ore, at (303)806-8001 ext. 107 or 3535 S. Platte River Drive, Unit H, Sheridan, Colorado 80110 for further information about the complaint process.

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Operations

We will use your health information for treatment: Information obtained by a therapist or other member of your healthcare team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of treatment that should work best for you. We may provide your physician or a subsequent healthcare provider with copies of various reports that should assist him or her in treating you.

We will use your health information for payment: A bill may be sent to you or a third-party payer. The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you, as well as your diagnosis, procedures, and supplies used.

We will use your health information for regular health operations: Members of our quality improvement team may use information in your health record to assess the care and outcomes in your case and others like it. This information will then be used in an effort to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare and service we provide.

Business associates: There are some services provided in our organization through contacts with business associates. When services are contracted, we may disclose your health information to our business associate so that they can perform the job weve asked them to do. To protect your health information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information.

Communication with family: Rocky Mountain Medical Equipment staff, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, close personal friend or any other person you identify, health information relevant to that person's involvement in your care or payment related to your care.

Marketing: We may contact you to provide appointment reminders or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We may disclose to the FDA health information relative to adverse events with respect to food, supplements, product and product defects, or post marketing surveillance information to enable product recalls, repairs, or replacement.

Workers compensation: We may disclose health information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law.

Public health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.

Correctional institution: Should you be an inmate of a correctional institution, we may disclose to the institution or agents thereof health information necessary for your health and the health and safety of other individuals.

Law enforcement: We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena.

Federal law makes provision for your health information to be released to an appropriate health oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more patients, workers or the public.